He’s next: Brother of Colts draftee chasing his own dream in D’Iberville
Justin Walley had a Friday night routine. The former Sun Herald Player of the Year would find the end zone first and then locate a young ball boy that looked a lot like him before dapping him up.
It wasn’t exactly a Hallmark moment where the ball boy hopes to be just like the do-it-all phenom someday. Oh, no.
“It made me want to be better than him,” Jordan Walley told the Sun Herald.
Jordan is the third in a line of uber-athletic brothers to come through D’Iberville. First there was Jaden, who just wrapped up a five-year career at Mississippi State that saw him catch 146 passes.
One class behind him was Justin, who has taken his career to the professional level after being taken as a cornerback out of Minnesota in the third round of the NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts in April.
Now comes Jordan, who is carving his own path across the lines of Warrior Stadium as both the team’s starting quarterback and one of Mississippi’s most productive corners, with the pride and motivation provided by Justin’s draft selection.
“It was very exciting,” Jordan said of Justin being drafted. “Watching him grow up and him grow up with me. He carried me through a lot.”
The Walley mentality
D’Iberville head coach Josh Ladner remembers working with Justin when Ladner was over the strength program.
Justin’s quiet demeanor, unmistakable work ethic and natural leadership abilities stood out then, and Ladner sees the very same in the youngest Walley brother.
“Jordan is very quiet like Justin was,” Ladner said. “Very similar leadership styles. I mean, it’s uncanny really. They lead very similarly. They command a room with very few words. They can tell everybody where to line up, play just about any position on either side of the ball. There’s more similarities than there are differences.”
There’s at least one notable difference. Both Jordan and Ladner point out Justin never had a natural ability to throw the ball. Jordan does.
In his first season in the starting quarterback role, Walley completed 41 passes for 657 yards and nine touchdowns to zero interceptions. He was the only starter on the Mississippi Coast who didn’t turn the ball over through the air out of the 22 who attempted at least 50 passes.
Everything else was molded by his older brother, including his mentality.
“He was a very hard worker and always doing whatever he needed to do to get better,” Jordan said. “It just rubbed off on me and my other brother.”
The Walley trio have been a versatile bunch for the Warriors. Justin played running back, receiver and corner who rushed for over 1,000 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior in 2020 while finding time to haul in over 300 receiving yards and make 55 tackles with a pair of interceptions on defense.
He averaged 12.6 points responsible for per game by himself that season before beginning his career at Minnesota.
“No moment was ever too big for Justin,” Ladner said. “His rebound mentally from a mistake was unlike anyone I had ever met. He could make a mistake on Friday night, maybe a fumble, but he always found a way to make up for it at some point during the game with a blocked field goal or an interception.”
Next Walley up
Jordan is fast. You can ask the Wayne County defense who could only watch as he raced 48 yards for a score last season. You could ask the quarterbacks of his district rivals, who found his hands instead of their receivers on three occasions.
He would finish with five interceptions total. Ladner hinted that Jordan may end up being better than Justin, due to the former’s poise and his unique and versatile role as both a nightmare for quarterbacks and a nightmare at quarterback.
“I see a similar calm during special situations that Justin had,” Ladner said. “I see the same talent, maybe even more. And just a cool under pressure mindset.”
Jordan won’t overstep just yet. He says Justin has his number for the moment, but he’s confident the youngest of the brothers will soon be the greatest.
“I got a lot of work to put in, but at the end of the day I might be better,” Jordan said of Justin. “He would beat me right now, but in a few years I’m going to get him.”
Spring has wrapped for the Warriors and only the hot days of fall camp stand between them and the new season. Jordan has goals for himself and his team, which includes working toward a state championship. D’Iberville was the last top-classification Coast school to win a gold ball back in 2002.
As for himself, Jordan aims to intercept four more passes this season, which would give him nine for his career. It’s no coincidence why he chose that number: Justin left D’Iberville with eight.
